Despite giving up a 31-year advantage to his opponent, Mike Tyson is feeling good about his chances against YouTube star Jake Paul.
Nearly 20 years removed from his last professional boxing bout, the ‘Baddest Man on the Planet’ will return to the ring for a showdown with ‘The Problem Child’ inside the 80,000-seat AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The full card — including a highly anticipate rematch between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano — will air live on Netflix on Friday, November 15 to the streaming giants’ 280 million subscribers around the world.
Much of the hype, or if we’re being honest, tension surrounding the fight has focused on the insane age gap between the two combatants. Tyson will be 58 years old when he enters the ring while Paul is still a few years away from turning 30.
But despite that significant difference, Tyson is feeling quite confident in his ability to go toe-to-toe with Paul, though he did admit that sparring early on was quite the challenge — especially when paired with people who could emulate Paul’s stamina.
“Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, I boxed eight rounds,” Tyson told Manouk Akopyan while discussing his training. “I’m sparring young guys, 30, 27 years old, and they’re hitting me hard. It wasn’t a picnic when I first started training. They gave me a real shellacking at first.”
The last time Tyson competed in a professional boxing match was in June 2005 when he suffered a sixth-round TKO loss against Kevin McBride. Asked how he believes he has improved despite now being 20 years older, Tyson said:
“I was a different person then. I was, you know, into narcotics and alcohol. I’m not that person anymore. I see a better picture of myself now. I see light, I see the world from a different perspective.”
He continued, “Time changes, man. I was a different person back then, doing different things. It’s time for me to come back. The world’s been anticipating my comeback since the Roy Jones Jr. exhibition. They just gave me the opportunity, and, I don’t know, I wanted to do it again.”
Mike Tyson Appreciates Your Concern, but it won’t change anything
In 2020, Tyson returned to the ring for an exhibition boxing match with Jones Jr. inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tyson and RJJ fought to an eight-round draw that night, but of course, an exhibition bout is far different than a fight that goes on your permanent record.
Even with some slight rule changes — including two-minute rounds instead of three and the use of 14-ounce gloves instead of the more traditional 10-ouncers — pundits are concerned that Tyson could suffer serious damage against Paul, who has proven himself to be quite the heavy-hitter inside the squared circle.
“I don’t know,” Tyson said when asked about the concerns surrounding his return to the ring. “Thank you very much for being concerned, but I’m here.”
